


A Week of Gruulfriends

by Wolkemesser



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: F/F, Gruulfriends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-09-01 04:08:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20251924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolkemesser/pseuds/Wolkemesser
Summary: This is a collection of the shorts I wrote as part of a Gruulfriends prompt week; just some light sweetness between sweethearts :)





	1. Chapter 1

_(In which our heroines holiday at Valor's Reach)_

“There’s hardly any plants in here.”

“I can survive without plants for a few hours.”

“Are you sure it won’t be too loud for you?” Chandra looked around the private box. The view of Valor’s Reach was amazing, but from here it was painfully obvious just how many people the stadium could fit, and what volume they might reach when the matches actually began.

“Mmmm…not entirely, but this is already an improvement over the crowds.” Nissa leaned out the edge of the box, watching the shifting terrarium platform at the center. “And I mean, it’s not _much_ louder than a city. Ghirapur was louder.”

Chandra crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks out. “Ghirapur’s nice! There was just a…revolution the first time you were there.”

Nissa laughed, and traipsed over from the balcony to throw her arms around her girlfriend.

“I like Ghirapur.” She kissed Chandra on her forehead. “And you’re very sweet to ask about the noise, but I think I can still enjoy myself.” Her hands slid down to Chandra’s waist, and the pyromancer’s cheeks flushed. Nissa gave her another peck, this time on the lips, and went back to the balcony.

Chandra felt some of the tension ease out of her shoulders. The box was as nice as Saheeli had promised, with satin-soft red couches and elegant pillars of red and black marble. The whole floor was carpeted, and the air kept at a perfect temperature despite the heat of the day. Some enchantment cast over the room, apparently. The homunculus porters who’d escorted them up had left several trays of food as well: spicy drumsticks on a bed of lettuce, fried peppers stuffed with cheese, an assortment of cut vegetables, and iced energy potions, which were supposedly the trademark viewing drink of the establishment.

Chandra grabbed two potion-glasses and joined Nissa by the balcony. “Beautiful skies today, huh?”

“Mmm.” Nissa took one of the drinks. “Perfect vacation weather.” She sipped from the flask, and gagged almost immediately.

“That tastes like pure sugar and caffeine…do they have any water?” She turned to look at Chandra, and found that her girlfriend has already downed her entire glass.

“Huh? Yeah, let me check.” Chandra grinned. The drink had stained her teeth blue.

By the time Chandra returned with the water, the competitors for the first match were taking the field. One one side a knight jumped from one of the high towers ringing the stadium, and a dragon swooped in to catch her. They made two circuits of the battlefield before settling onto one side of the arena, which has taken the shape of a small copse of woodland. One the other side…

“Is that a little kid?” Chandra squinted at the battle field. “There not gonna have a child fight a dragon, are they?”

“I don’t think Saheeli would patronize the kind of place where children would be in mortal danger,” Nissa replied, though her brow was creased with concern.

Ten minutes later, they could only stare in stunned amazement as the dragon and the knight were carted out of the stadium, the dragon covered in ooze, and the knight with her armor dented with bite marks.

“I uh…I guess the kid could hold his own,” Chandra offered.

More matches with more colorful combatants followed after that. Spellcasters, warriors, angels, demons, even one of the homunculi, who cast strange magic from a perch on a cyclops’ shoulder. Nissa and Chandra clapped and hollered and cheered at each one, enjoying a rare bout of fights where there were no lives or worlds in the balance.

They retreated to the largest of the sofas between rounds, and lay in each other’s arms. Nissa even managed to doze off once or twice. The food proved more agreeable than the drink, and Nissa made a mess of Chandra’s face while feeding her bites of the peppers.

“Sorry, these are messier than I expected.” Nissa looked around. “Do they have napkins, maybe?”

“Well,” Chandra rolled over onto her belly and propped up her face in her hands, “You could maybe lick the crumbs off. She managed to keep a straight grin for all of two seconds before embarrassment overtook her and she buried her face in her hands.

Nissa laughed and gently pried her girlfriend’s hands apart, then began planting kisses on every grease-stained spot on Chandra’s face. Chandra shrieked with laughter, and they wrestled there a full minute, trading light kissing the stadium. They rolled off the couch together, and ran to watch the next match.


	2. Chapter 2

_(In which out heroines discuss fear in the dark)_

Chandra gasped, and shot upright. A hand thrust out, catching flame and illuminating the dark room.

It wasn’t the citadel. It wasn’t Amonkhet. She was in a modest bedchamber, and soft moonlight was streaming through the window. Everything was covered in sweat. Her face, her bedclothes, the sheets. Her hand, luckily, had not ignited until it was well clear of the bedding.

“Chandra?”

Nissa was across the room, sitting up on a matching bed, a loose gown of green around her shoulders. Her eyes, illuminated by the fire, were full of alarm. “Chandra, what’s wrong?”

Chandra tried to reply, and realized she was breathing heavily, ragged gasps cutting off anything she started to say. Nissa leapt up and hurried to Chandra’s side, laying a hand on her arm.

“I’m here, just…just breathe. Don’t burn yourself up.”

Shadows flickered across Nissa’s face. Chandra looked from the elf to her hand, still crackling with fire, and slowly closed her fist, letting the fire dwindle down to a nothing. Darkness fell over the room again, and suddenly she felt cold, like she was covered in frost.

The bedding depressed next to her as Nissa sat down at her side.

“Another dream?”

Chandra nodded. “Yeah.”

She felt a hand press to her forehead. Then the gentle brush of a cloth as Nissa dried the sweat on her face.

“You’re shivering.” her hand moved to Chandra’s shoulder, and began to press her back down to the bed. Chandra shook her head and clung to Nissa’s arm instead.

Nissa sat still in the darkness for a moment, then stood and wrapped her gown around Chandra’s shoulders. It was soft and warm and smelled just like her. A second later and Nissa’s arms were draped around Chandra from behind, strong but gentle. She pulled Chandra back to rest against her breast, semi-reclined.

“I’m here. As long as you need me to be, I’m here.”

“I couldn’t make fire this time.” Chandra’s breathing was evening out, but her heart was still hammering. Despite all the sweat her mouth and face felt dry. “I couldn’t do anything and they were taking all of you away from me and I…I just…”

Nissa ran a hand along Chandra’s arm. Up and down, to the rhythm of her breathing. “Tell me.” Her whisper was soft, but even.

“I couldn’t do anything. I felt the fire burning me up inside, but I couldn’t…I couldn’t…”

“Make a flame.”

“Yeah…”

“No, Make a flame.” Nissa’s hand slid down Chandra’s shoulder to her wrist, and she lifted it gently up in front of them. Her fingers rested on the backside of Chandra’s upturned palm. “Go ahead. Take your time.”

Moonlight glowed off their skin, and for a long minute Chandra could only stare at the their outstretched arms. The heat, all trapped in her head, was slowly seeping back into the rest of her body, warding off the worst of the chills. Nissa’s cheek rested against Chandra’s ear, and the elf murmured soft encouragement as she stroked the back of Chandra’s hand with her forefinger.

Chandra closed her eyes and focused on her own fingers. The warmth rolled up the length of her arm and into her palm, and then stopped there. Like there were plugs in her veins stopping up the heat. She’d been burning not a few minutes earlier, but now…

“Nissa, I…I…”

“There’s no rush. I’m here and I’m safe. _You’re_ safe. I won’t let anything hurt you while we’re here.”

Chandra nodded into the darkness, and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, she curled her fingers and let the stoppers melt like wax in the heat of her red mana. The warmth reached her fingertips and her palm flared with bright yellow tongues of fire.

“That’s wonderful.” Nissa’s other arm, still around Chandra’s waist, squeezed her gently. “Well done. Very well done.”

Chandra let out a slow breath, and let the flames rise up off her fingertips and gather a few inches above her palm. The flames wrapped into a swirling ball; warm, but far up enough that Nissa wouldn’t scorch her own fingers.

“Thank you.”

“It’s all you.” Nissa planted a small kiss on the back of Chandra’s neck. “You’re my strong, brilliant flame.” Her fingers slip up into the gaps between Chandra’s and she squeezed Chandra’s hand. The fireball crackled like the crumpling of crisp parchment.

Chandra let the fireball swirl away into sparks, and turned to pull Nissa down beside her. They lay like that for a while on Chandra’s bed, fingers interlocked, looking at one another by the white light of the moon. Chandra’s eyes began to grow heavy, but the soft light of Nissa’s eyes kept her clinging to lucidness.

Nissa reached out her other hand to stroke Chandra’s cheek, and Chandra realized with a start that there were small tears beading in the elf’s eyes. She reached out on instinct to grab Nissa’s shoulder.

“I…I’m sorry. I’m alright now, Nissa, I promise, I-”

But Nissa just pulled her closer, and rested her forehead against Chandra’s. A tear rolled down her cheek and into the sheets, but when she spoke again it was through a small laugh.

“No, I’m alright. I want to be here with you. I was just thinking…” She let out a small half-sob-half laugh. “…I was just thinking how lucky I am to have you, after everything.”

Chandra might have cried herself, if her face didn’t feel so dry. Instead, she lay her own kiss on Nissa’s cheek.

“Then between the two of us we’ve got a lot of luck on our side.”

Nissa laughed, a bit louder this time, and pulled Chandra fully back into her arms. When they both fell back to sleep, quiet seconds later, their breathing was steady, and their dreams untroubled.


	3. Chapter 3

_(In which our heroines give and receive some badly needed TLC)_

Nissa screamed.

There had simply been too many of the beasts. Here, deep in Mirrodin’s tangle, the phyrexian predators where as thick as flies, and just as eager to swarm any hapless passerbys.

Not that Nissa was hapless. She’s struck down a dozen of the creatures with her sword, and bound another two dozen with metallic vines before one got anywhere near her. But the one was enough, and as its teeth sank into her shoulder, Nissa’s legs buckled, and she fell to one knee.

Still she shoved her sword between the creature’s eyes, and the jaws slackened. It gurgled horribly, spitting up oil in its death throes, but Nissa managed to struggle free, using the dying beast as a shield against the others.

“Nissa!”

Fireballs leapt through the air, aimed expertly through the broad tree-trunks. The landed among the thickest of the beast-pack, immolating dozens immediately, and sending even more into a blind stampede, flesh sizzling and glistening-oil popping. Most of the beasts ignored Nissa in their panic, and the few that stuck around got the business end of her sword, or the second salvo of flames.

“Nissa!”

Chandra ran into view, riding astride a golden bandar construct. Huatli was close behind, riding a dinosaur construct of her own. Karn followed close behind. Nissa managed a small smile before collapsing to the jungle floor.

“She’s hurt!” Chandra leapt down from the bandar and crouched over Nissa. “Karn! She’s hurt!”

The silver golem sidled up beside them. “It doesn’t look infected, but even a small bit of phyresis can be deadly. If we had Teferi with us…”

Chandra was already pulling the shoulder of Nissa’s tunic down. Nissa felt a bit dizzy from the wet, stinging wound, but Chandra’s face was still sharp in her vision. Sharp and strong and serious yet…yet so caring.

“Nissa, this is gonna hurt.” Chandra raised a hand, already glowing red hot. She pulled off her goggles and offered them to Nissa. “Do you want…?”

Nissa took the goggles and bit down on the strap. Chandra nodded grimly and seized Nissa’s shoulder about the wound.

The pain was dreadful, and the smell was worse, but Nissa could feel the oily sting of the bite burn away under Chandra’s hand. She almost passed out from the pain, but fought through it, her teeth sinking deep into the goggle strap.

“There.” Chandra finally pulled her hand away, after what felt like an eternity. “We need to get out of here. Re-group with the others.”

By then, Huatli had rigged a cot out of the spare parts for her construct. The last thing Nissa remembered was Chandra’s hand cupping her face as they lifted her onto the metal dinosaur, and the heavy, numbing pain in her shoulder.

** ** **

A week later found them back on Kaladesh, having re-grouped from their abortive venture into New Phyrexia. Huatli and Saheeli were taking a well-deserved vacation to Ixalan, Teferi was off trying to convince Karn to change his plan of attack, and Chandra hadn’t left Nissa’s side once, except for the odd hour to bathe, or go get food.

Usually a lot of food.

“I’m alright, Chandra, honestly,” Nissa said as her girlfriend entered the room with a platter piled high with enough fruit to feed two-dozen people. “You need to sleep.”

“I’ve _been_ sleeping.”

“Sitting half-slumped in a chair doesn’t count.”

“I never leave a job half done,” Chandra huffed. “Well, _sometimes _I leave a job half done, but I nearly roasted your arm off, and I’m going to stay here until I’ve finished making you well again!”

“C_handra.”_

“Fine, fine…I’ll bring a cot in, or something. Mom must have one around here somewhere.” Chandra put the platter down on the bedside stand. “How’s your shoulder?”

“Mmmm, stinging a bit. I think it’s dried out again.”

Chandra nodded, placed an armful of fruit in Nissa’s lap, and rolled back the bandages along the elf’s arm.

“Lay back. I’ll get the salve.”

Nissa sighed and sank back into the small mountain of pillows Chandra had supplied. It wasn’t _so _bad being pampered. She hadn’t had a reason to rest her body this long in years, and it was nice having Chandra all to herself in the meantime. She just wished it hadn’t taken a bite from a half-metal monster and an accompanying set of third-degree burns to get regular deep shoulder massages from her girlfriend.

“Karn said he couldn’t detect any of that fur-ices disease, by the way.” Chandra worked the cool, silky salve in small dabs over Nissa’s upper arm. “He came by while you were sleeping. I think he feels bad about it.”

“I’m just glad he decided not to use that sylex thing…didn’t Jaya say something about it covering a whole plane in ice?”

Chandra nodded. “Yeah, it seems pretty reckless.” she fell silent for a minute, her eyes and fingers fixed on Nissa’s burns.

“Sort of like going off by myself into the tangle to find Vorinclex?” Nissa ventured.

“I-I didn’t say that!” Chandra flushed slightly.

“We were both thinking it.” Nissa took Chandra’s hand with her good one and squeezed it. “I _was_ reckless. I should have waited for you.”

“I wish you had.” Chandra squeezed her hand back, smiling a little sadly. “We have another chance, though. Lucky again, huh?”

“Incredibly.” Nissa kissed the back of Chandra’s hand. Then she lay back, and Chandra finished applying the salve in the relative quiet of the Ghirapur apartment.

“How’s that?” Chandra put the pot of salve back onto the drawer and probed gently at Nissa’s burns.

Nissa flexed the shoulder gingerly. “Better. My…my throat’s a bit dry though…” She looked up at Chandra with an exaggerated pout, and a small smile.

“I’ll make some tea.” Chandra bent down and gave Nissa a small peck on the side of her mouth. “And find that cot. Try and sleep a while.” She turned to go.

“Wait.”

Chandra half spun, eyebrow raised.

Nissa tapped her lips. “I thought you never leave a job half-finished, Ms. Nalaar.”

The look on Chandra’s face did a better job than a week’s worth of salves to make Nissa forget about the pain. The hot, embarrassed kiss her girlfriend delivered a second later drove all thoughts of injury out of her mind, at least for the moment.


	4. Chapter 4

_(In which our heroines explore some new styles)_

“Pia…that’s beautiful.”

“Isn’t it? Kiran bought it for me, right before we married.”

The tunic was green and gold, the “sleeves” made of golden bracelets bound together with a delicate mesh of gold-plated steel. Not Nissa’s usual style, but sit had an undeniable elegance. The aether-patterned garments of Kaladesh were some of the closest designs to nature that she’d encountered on such a developed plane.

“Here, try it on.”

“Oh,” Nissa held the tunic back out to Pia. “I…I couldn’t possibly, I wouldn’t want to impose-”

Pia gently pressed the garment back into Nissa’s hands. “It’ll go to waste otherwise. You don’t have to wear it, but I’d like you to have it. If that’s alright.”

Nissa held the tunic up to the window, letting the low afternoon sun stream through sleeves. “Thank you. I think it might work for tonight.”

Pia smiled, and snorted out a short laugh. “You’ll look lovely. I hope that daughter of mine has something nice to wear. Between you and me I think she’s spent more time daydreaming about taking you out to the Ghirapur clubs than she has actually planning for it.”

** ** **

“I know it’s somewhere in here…hold onto these for me.”

Oviya held out a pile of worn shawls, and Chandra added them to the growing mound of clothing in her arms. She could barely see over the top by this point; Oviya was just a distant rustling of cloth and beads in the closet.

“Ah-ha!”

Chandra peeked around the edge of the to see Oviya holding up a long-sleeved gown, dyed sunset colors, with yellow around the chest, a waist of deep, fiery orange, and a rose-red skirt.

“That…that’s beautiful.” She deposited the pile of clothing into a nearby chair, and examined the dress closely. The embroidery along the skirt was the usual twists of aether, picked out in white and silver, but the design along the front was an unusual circular pattern, like interlocking gears.

“My anarkali suit from when I was a little younger than you are,” Oviya sighed. “A bit old fashioned, but take it from me, nothing will catch your lady’s eye like this.” She flourished the dress for emphasis.

“Oh w-well I just wanted to do something a little different tonight is all.” Chandra scratched her neck and looked up at the ceiling. “Nothing special or anything like that.” She punctuated the sentence with a nervous laugh.

“Whatever you say, dear.” Oviya shrugged and lay the anarkali out on another chair. “But don’t think this old woman can’t see when someone’s got a courting look in their eyes.”

** ** **

Nissa found her way to the club easily enough, with Pia’s directions. Ms. Pashiri had sent a singing bird along to let her know that Chandra would be running late, and what time she would be there.

So Nissa arrived a few minutes early, and edged along the wall of the club, watching dwarves, elves, humans, aetherborn, and even the odd vedalken drink, chat, and dance to the music of a live troupe of singers. It was pleasant, and not nearly as loud as she’d feared, but one hand still strayed nervously over her tunic, smoothing and re-smoothing the fabric while she waited for Chandra.

A few of the club-goers approached her while she waited, mostly to ask her to dance, or have a drink. She was able to politely decline most, though a few required a more forceful rebuffing, or a shaming from their friends.

She was about to step outside to wait when the crowd parted, and there through the doors of the club stood a vision of the setting sun; a woman in a long, elegantly-cut dress, hair in a lush plait. Nissa was surprised to see someone so beautifully dressed here. She was even more surprised a moment later when she recognized the woman as Chandra. She was wearing a small silver earrings as well, and her regulator had been expertly sewn into the dress at the small of her back.

Nissa realized she was gliding across the dance floor without having meant to, towards Chandra. The pyromancer hadn’t spotted her just yet, but as she neared the center their eyes met…

***

…Nissa looked…_really_ cool. She was wearing this awesome green sleeveless tunic with gold mesh and wide bracelets all along her arms. The trousers were blue and white to match, and splashy patterns of wild aether swirled along the sides.

Chandra realized she was running across the dance floor toward Nissa a second before she realized it was probably a bad idea to sprint in the dress. She stumbled a half-step, and the next thing she knew, Nissa was cradling her in her arms, in a low dip.

They stared at each other for a minute, the dark lights of the club pulsing around them.

“Excuse me, miss…” Chandra said through a suddenly dry mouth. “I’m looking for my girlfriend; maybe you’ve seen her?”

Nissa just smiled and brought Chandra up for a light kiss. “You look beautiful.”

Chandra’s cheeks burned. “I wanted to match you. Looks like you raised the bar, though.”

“I had some help.”

“Ah, me too.”

They drifted apart two steps, still holding hands. The singers were starting up a new song. Something fast and joyful. Not exactly a slow-dance song.

That was fine. The night was still young.


	5. Chapter 5

_(In which our heroines live happily ever after~)_

Fingers of the dawning sun had just begun to reach through the rows of plants as Nissa entered the garden. The air was wonderful; cool and crisp. She walked out into the center of the and took a deep breath before kneeling in the soil to gather breakfast.

Working her way down the low aisle of vines, Nissa plucked a small bunch of passion fruit and several full, crimson tomatoes. From the trees lining the garden she filled the rest of the basket with silky-smooth kumquats and tart-scented lemons. More trees, laden with fruit, lined the northern edge of the garden. At the center of this row squatted a yellow-brick well, where Nissa drew up a bucket of cold, crackling water to wash her harvest with. The roil had mellowed out considerably since the eldrazi had left the plane or perished, meaning Nissa had been able to expand the plant over a full acre of the land around the cottage.

_Their_ cottage.

Chandra had woken up and gotten a small fire purring in the kitchen by the time Nissa returned. She exchanged a quiet kiss with her still-sleepy girlfriend and began cutting the tomatoes, and laying the slices on the iron pan above the fire. They sizzled alongside thick cuts of bacon and golden drake-eggs, which Chandra prodded and flipped with a wide spatula. Nissa began to sing as she cut wedges of lemon for the eggs, and Chandra hummed along. She was getting much better, though Nissa still found it endearing when she hit a note not quite on-key.

Right on cue, just as they were laying out the last of the breakfast spread on the table, small footsteps pattered up the walk to their cottage door. A handful of the local children, two elves, a human, and a minotaur, peeked in through the half-open doorframe, looking dutifully from Chandra to Nissa.

“Aw, c’mon in kids.” Chandra ambled over and pulled the bottom door open. “Jurna, does your dad know you’re eating with us today?”

The smaller of the two elves nodded, and scurried in with the others. The minotaur, the oldest, handed Nissa a small bundle wrapped in leather.

“Rock tea, miss. My ma sent it along as a thank-you.”

“Oh! That’s very kind.” Nissa pulled back the leather to examine the box within. “I’ll brew us some to go with breakfast. You all go dig in for now.”

The children clambered around the table and took their seats, beginning to chatter with one another as Chandra and Nissa took their places among them. The cottage got noisy sometimes, but never _too_ noisy, and as long as it was safe and warm…

…Nissa took Chandra’s hand and they exchanged smiles, along with a second, more lucid morning kiss. Then, laughing along with their young guests, they filled their plates and began to eat.


End file.
